After 10 Years
by writeoflove
Summary: Two high school sweethearts who have gone their separate ways lead completely different lives ten years after they part. When they meet again after all those years, there is a lot of tension and unfinished history between the two of them. Will this reunion patch up the wounds that were made after their painful breakup, or will it only make it worse?
1. A Fresh Start

The sun was brighter than usual on this particularly warm August afternoon; it literally blinded Emma's eyes to the point where she had to walk away from her seat near the kitchen window to rest on the dingy couch.

She sighed as the couch squeaked under her presence. Taking a glance around her living room, Emma felt somewhat accomplished over how well she had cleaned up the house since she had first moved in about a month ago. When she first got the house, which had not been inhabited for almost fifteen years, the whole of the interior looked grimy and dilapidated. Doorknobs were falling off, floor tiles were aging, the refrigerator worked half the time, the list went on an on. From the moment she stepped inside, Emma made it her mission to clean up this mess so it could be suitable for herself and her baby girl to live in.

The house had actually belonged to her late grandmother in the 90s, before she had passed away. After that, it had been left empty without any residence, until earlier this summer. Emma had moved from New York City back home to South Carolina, where she had grown up. Actually, her childhood residence was only five minutes away from here, but that home has since been sold to another family. After Emma quit her job in the city, she decided to return home with her daughter and continue the life she felt she would have lived had she not left in the first place.

The last time Emma was in Pickens, South Carolina, she had just graduated high school and was ready to go to college. So much - so, terribly much - had changed within the ten years that had passed. Major heartbreak, a shift to the city, a child - these were only few of the things that had happened in Emma Sinclair's life. She was now 28 years old, fairly young for a woman, yet she felt so old.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was almost 4:30. Tomorrow morning, she would start her new job as a first grade teacher at Hagood Elementary School. But until then, she would have to get some rest.


	2. First Day

The teacher's lounge was filled with scattered faces; Emma knew they were all teachers in the school, but she had no idea who any of them were.

She had gotten the job last month, about a week after she had moved back to Pickens. The interview was pretty painless - she was interviewed by Amanda, the assistant principal of Hagood Elementary. Amanda was a strikingly beautiful woman, with envious eyes and soft brown locks. Many people considered Emma gorgeous, too, with her dirty blonde hair and deep brown eyes, but Amanda put her looks to shame, she thought.

"Emma, nice to see you!" Amanda exclaimed from the other end of the room, as she made her way towards Emma.

"Hi, Amanda, how are you?" Emma asked politely as she gave her a short hug. Although Amanda was one of her bosses, they were very comfortable with each other; they would probably be friends outside of work.

"I'm doing great, just a bit tired, you know? The first day of school is always a little overwhelming, especially with little kids running all over the place," she chuckled. "You ready to teach for your first time here?"

"I think so," Emma said confidently. This would be Emma's first time teaching, though it had always been a passion of hers as a child. To be able to do it now, at the age of 28, was a blessing to her.

Amanda smiled, exposing her perfect white teeth. "School officially starts in about half an hour, so you can go into your class and set everything up. Good luck, Sinclair," she said, offering a thumbs up before talking with another teacher.

Emma slowly walked to her classroom - room 25. As she walked, she started to feel the nerves, but after entering the class, those nerves dissipated. The whole atmosphere of the room was comforting - the green chalkboard, the soft rug in the center, the seats waiting to be occupied. She took her seat at the teacher's desk, and after making some last minute preparations around the room, saw a line of students walking in.

"And remember, there's no homework tonight, just make sure y'all get your parents to sign those forms!" Emma repeated for the fifth time as her students were leaving the classroom. She glanced at the big clock on the wall - 3:05 PM. The school day was over, when it felt like it just started. It was a great first day - the kids were fantastic, and they shared many laughs together. It made Emma wonder why she had left Pickens in the first place. If she hadn't left for the city, this definitely would have been what Emma had done years earlier. But she knew that everything happens for a reason, and she couldn't take anything back now.

A couple of hours later, Emma and her fellow first grade teachers were having a small meeting with Amanda and the other assistant principal, Shelby. They were discussing the first grade curriculum for the first month of school: they would start very easy, as it was still summer, with short stories and addition and subtraction, and then eventually they would segue into more challenging concepts, although nothing too challenging, as they were only first graders.

"Okay, I think we got it all figured out," said Ava, one of the first grade teachers who Emma had grown close to. They were about the same age, Ava being two years younger, but they were more or less the same person in many ways.

"Definitely," Chloe agreed. Chloe was two years older than Emma, and they hadn't talked much yet, but there was something about her that intrigued Emma that she couldn't put her finger on.

"Well that settles it, I guess," said Shelby. "Y'all can go home now, if you want," she chuckled. "Good job today, girls."

Ava and Chloe immediately said goodbye to their coworkers and left the school, while Emma stayed behind to gather her belongings in her classroom and to talk with Amanda.

"That's adorable," Amanda laughed in response to a story Emma had told her about one of her students, Taylor, who spent the whole school day singing the national anthem, even after Emma repeatedly told her to quiet down. "Kids like her are the reason we do this," she added. "Hey, Emma, it's my birthday this Saturday, and I'm having a get together at my house. I was wondering if you'd like to stop by? Ava and Chloe and all of the other teachers are coming, too."

"Absolutely," Emma said without hesitation. Amanda was growing to be one of her great friends, and she couldn't say no to that. "Just fill me in on the details and I'll be there."

As she was driving home, Emma replayed the events of today in her head. Today, she had met her wonderful, lively students for the first time, and they were terrific. She had also grown closer with her coworkers, especially Amanda, and she was set to go to her birthday party on Saturday. Life was looking good.


End file.
